Rotary harrow.



PATENTED DEC. 8, `1903.l

T. s. WAGONER.

ROTARY HARROW. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODEL.

17e rjfe r.

N: nonnls PETERS CO. PHOTO-umu.. wAsmNGmn. n. c.

` lUNITED STATES i Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

TO JAMES A. THOMPSON, OF LOOGOOTEE, INDIANA.

ROTARY HARRow.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,208, dated December 8, 1903.

Application iiled'July 31, 1903. SerialNo. 167,783. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may con/cern: Y

Beit known that I, THOMAS S. WAGONER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Loogootee, in the county of Martin and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Rotary Harrow, of which the following is a specication. v A Y .Y

This invention relates to rotary harrows; and it has for its object to provide'a device ro of this class which shall possess superior advantages in point ofV simplicity, durability; and general efficiency; which may be conveniently and successfully operated uponl any kind of soil, and which when it is desiredto cultivate plants growing in rows, such as corn,

may be utilized for this purpose without danger of injuring the young plants by slightly modifying the structure and locking the rotary tooth-carrying element against rotation.

zo With these and other ends in View my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the'claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illus-V trat-ed a simple and preferred form of my invention, it being understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the precise struc-'- tural details herein shown and described, but

3o reserve to myself the right to any changes, alterations, and modifications which may be' resorted to'witliin the scope of my'invention and without departing from the spirit or sac-v rilicing the utility of the same.

-In said drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of my improved harrow. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the harrow locked against rotationand with oneof 4o the tooth-bars removed for the purpose of straddling a row. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the harrow, as shown in Fig.

3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View takenl through one of the tooth-carrying bars. Fig. v5 6 is a perspective detail view showing the means for connecting one of the,toothcarry ing bars with the rim of the rotary element of the barrow. Y

ACorresponding parts in the several figures 5o are indicated by similar numerals of reference.

' il-y understood.

rPhe rotary element of my improved harrow is composed, primarily, of a rim l, com posed, preferably, of band-iron of suitable dimen sions, forming a rim or tire, as will be read- In connection with the rim 1 I usev a plurality of radially-disposed toothcarrying bars 2 2, each jof,which is composed A of a pair of side members 3 3, connected by means of transversely-,disposed bolts 4 4. 6o The'adjacent or opposing faces of the side members 3 3 are provided each with a plurality of recesses 5 5, those of each side member registering with each other, as will be clearly seen in the several figures of .the drawings. These recesses 5 combine to form sock- Y ets for the reception of the barrow-teeth 6,

of which any desired number may be used in each of the radiating bars. It will be seen that an ample number of sockets are pro- 7o vided to accommodate a large number of teeth; butin many instances a number of the teeth may be removed and the sockets left vacant, thus enabling me to provide my improved barrow with just the number of teeth in each radial bar which shall be deemed desirable or necessary for the work to be performed and also enabling me t-o arrange the said teeth relatively to each other in any manner that may be deemed suitable and de- 8o 'mmme 'The radial tooth-carrying bars 2 are con` nected at their outer ends with the rim l by ,rinor bars and to the inner side ofthe rim.

It' preferred, rivets may be employed to connect the L-shaped bracket with the rim; but the tooth-carrying bars Vare to be connected 9o detachably with the brackets. The inner ends ofy said tooth-carrying bars are likewise connected by 'means of boltsA 9 with a center piece or `hub 1,0, thus: enabling any one or more of the said tooth-,carry'ingbars tobe re- 95 removed at pleasure from. the barrow-structure.

1l designates a bolt constituting a vertical axle, which extends through the centerof ,the hub through a block l2, supported upon the roe hub, and through a bitching-bar or draft-bar 13,l which is supported centrally upon the said block 12 and which is retained in position by means of a nut 14 upon the upper end of the axle-bolt. The draft-bar 13 is provided with a pair of levers 15 and 16 near its rear and front ends, respectively, the lever 15 extending upwardly from the draft-bar, to which it is fulcrumed, and the lever 16 being :fulcrumed in a slot of said draft-bar, through which it extends downwardly, and is provided with a catch 17, adapted to engage a notch 18 in the rim of the rotary member of the device for the purpose of locking said rotary member in a stationary position. The levers 15 and 16 are connected by means of a rod 19, enabling the latch mechanism to be operated by means ofthe handled lever 15, which is conveniently accessible to the driver, who walks behind the machine.

Suitably connected with the front end of the draft or bitching bai-13 is a clevis 2O of ordinary construction, consisting of a verticallydisposed yoke, the forward portion of which is provided with a plurality of perforations 21 for the adjustment of the draft. Between the arms of the yoke constitutingr the clevis are placed a filling-block 22 and a pair of guide-plates 23 and 24, said guide-plates being spaced apart by the lling-block 22, so as to engage the upper and under edges of the tire l of the rotary member of the device.

I/Vhen my improved device is to be utilized as a rotary barrow, the latching mechanism is of course disengaged from the rim of the rotary member, draft being applied at the front end of the hitching-bar, and the machine being dragged over the ground the rotary toothed member Will revolve upon its axis, thus thoroughly stirring and cultivating the soil which is exposed to the operation of the hai-row.

A great advantage of the device is this, that when t-he teeth of the harrow, after the rotary mem berhas been revolving for some time in one direction, accumulate roots and trash which hinder their progress the rotary member will automatically be brought to a stop, owing to the impediment offered by the obobstructions adhering to the barrow-teeth, and will then resume rotation in an opposite direction, thus causing the barrow-teeth to clear themselves of any of the obstructions and impediments adhering thereto. My improved harrow is thus self-cleaning and requires little attention on the part of the operator. It is obvious that, as before stated,

prior to the beginning of operation the teeth will be placed in the tooth-holding bars in any desired number and relative locations.

Should it be desired to utilize the barrow for cultivating purposes upon a row of growdisposed between the attached ends of two of the radially-disposed tooth-carrying bars, and this will, under the construction illustrated in the annexed drawings, bring one of the tooth-carrying bars (of which seven have been shown) in direct alinement with the bitching-bar. This tooth-carrying bar, the presence of which would prove fatal to the operation of the device, is simply removed, and the device will thus be enabled to straddle the row of plants, three tooth-carrying bars being disposed on either side of the row.

Those who are familiar with devices of this class will readily understand the uses and capabilities of my invention and will be readily able to so dispose and transfer the various component parts as to enable them to achieve the most vheneticial results.

The device taken as a Whole is simple, inexpensive, and may be conveniently operated with the most useful results.

Having thus described 'my invention, I claim- 1. In a rotary harrow, a rim, a hub, L- shaped brackets secured to the inside of the rim, and tooth-carrying bars connected detachably with said brackets and with the hub.

2. In a rotary harrow, a rim, a hub, L- shaped brackets secured upon the inner side of the rim, tooth-carrying bars detachably connected with said brackets and with the hub, an axle extending vertically through the hub, a draft-bar mounted upon said axle, levers connected pivotally with the draft-bar, a rod connecting said levers, and latch mechanism operated by oneof said levers to engage the rotary member of the device.

3. In a rotary harrovr, the combination with arotary element having radially-disposed detachable tooth-carrying bars, a vertical axle, a draft-bar mounted upon said axle, draftattaching means at the front end of said bar, bearing-plates and spacing means connected with said draft-attaching means, said bearing-plates engaging the upperaud lower edges of the rotary element, and means for locking the latter in a stationary position with relation to the draft-bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. W AGONER.

Witnesses:

WARREN SUMMERS, F. S. SMITH.

ICO

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